Rear View Mirror 12-3-12

While the major racing series have all wound down, the more obscure but nonetheless exciting races are just picking up speed. Of course, there is always a ton going on in the world of Forza, so let’s get to it!

Aussie V8 Supercars - Sydney Telstra 500

The final race at Sydney marks the end of an era where, for some ten years, it has been a battle of Red (Holden) vs. Blue (Ford). Next year the “car of the future” will be revealed and will compete against Nissan’s Altima-based race car, as well as entries from Mercedes Benz and possibly other manufacturers. Check out this news clip for more details.

Jamie Whincup in the Team Vodafone Holden Commodore VE2 wrapped up his fourth championship with a pair of fifth place finishes in the Saturday and Sundays races. He won by a dominant 339 points over team mate Craig Lowndes. That is a 1-2 for team Vodafone and Holden. Mark “Frosty” Winterbottom took third for Ford Fans in the Orrcon Steel FPR Ford. In Sunday’s race, Frosty recovered from a lap one incident, and fought his way through the field only to suffer another puncture placing him 18th in the final race.

In Saturday’s 74-lap race Craig Lowndes took the win, followed by Tim Slade. James Courtney finished third and Will Davison was unable to finish after taking the pole in qualifying.

Davison came back on Sunday to win, with Lowndes right behind him. Courtney managed third again.

So ends the 2012 season of Aussie V8 Supercars. Next year should be an exciting change.

After damaging his steering in a collision Shane Van Gisbergen accidentally hits the medical car—a Porsche Panamera. Take a look.

25 Hours of Thunderhill Coming Up

USTCC Racer and Friend of Forza Ken Kurtz will be racing in the NASA 25 Hours of Thunderhill this weekend. The race begins at 11 a.m. PDT on Saturday. He will be among the 70 teams racing in the longest endurance race in the U.S. Driving his BMW M3, Kurtz would love to win the race but his primary goal is simply finishing this grueling automotive test.

Past events have had fewer entrants and included six-hour and twelve-hour sub-races. This year it is 25 hours for all 70 cars on the three- mile, 36-foot-wide track. Thunderhill features excellent elevation changes including its signature turn, “The Cyclone.”

Kurtz will be conducting a Q&A in the forums in his downtime while competing in the 25 Hour race. Pose your questions here and cheer on Kurtz as he prepares for the race.

Catch Air Get Unicorns

As mentioned in last week’s RVM thread and in Friday’s Week in Review , we are kicking off a contest, one that I have been thinking about for a long time. The timing was inspired by the incredible jump over the barn by the Halo Raptor in the December IGN Car Pack Video. In any racing game I have ever played, I have always tried to find places to catch air. For example, in Grand Theft Auto III for PS2 I spent hours trying to jump the river; I never made it but still believe it is possible.

So here’s the deal: Cruise Forza Horizon’s Colorado and find the best jumps. What makes a good jump? Is it huge air? Is it clearing an obstacle? Is it jumping over traffic? I leave it to you to decide, and I look forward to your innovative approaches.

Once you have established where your “hit” is, compose directions from Race Central and post them with a picture of the jump site. I will be gifting Horizon unicorns for the best jump spots and the best jump photos. Winners will also be featured in an upcoming article, “Forza Horizon’s Greatest Hits.”

Submit your entry in the RVM thread I can’t wait to see your submissions.

Videos are not required but they are appreciated. In that spirit, check out this perfect double-barrel roll from FLASHRADAR.

Featured Artist Gr333nz

This U.K. artist has been around since the early days of the original Forza Motorsport. He is an accomplished Forza designer and I commissioned a personal one-off Lincoln Continental from him that I love. He is a family man, a car aficionado, and a Forza racer. Before I give it all away, read his self-written bio here and tell him what you think of his work. Personally, I think his work is wide-ranging and inspired.

Forza Singles League Drift Competition Dec 16-19

Kaptn Saveaho is hosting season two of his drift competition. Sign up now if you want to compete against some of the best style drifters in Forza Motorsport 4. Yes, this is a judged event. Saveaho already has 55 drivers signed up. The competition starts December 16 and ends on January 19. Five weeks of competition with a 30-battle limit per driver. Forza Motorsport 4 unicorns will be awarded by Yours Truly to the winners. Check his thread for the details and how to sign up.

Andy Pilgrim Racer Profile This Week in Heavy Metal Affliction

This month’s racer profile features PWC (Pirelli World Championship) driver Andy Pilgrim. Pilgrim has raced everything from motorcycles to Le Mans to the latest Cadillac CTS-V. You’ll be able to read about his long successful life on the edge in this week’s Heavy Metal Affliction.

You can compete against Pilgrim’s best time at Infineon in this month’s special Rivals event, “Pilgrimage to Sonoma”. We are also hosting a live Q&A with Pilgrim on Thursday, December 20 from 7-9 p.m. EDT. We will be giving away Forza Horizon unicorns to the submitters of questions that are used in the interview session. Post your question in the HMA thread after reading the story on Thursday.

Andy Pilgrim in his early days of motorcycle racing in the U.K.

Forza Idol Wraps Up—Winner Chosen

Forza Idol is a long-standing design competition hosted by ARMIPOTENT ADAM and it always draws the top names in designers. Adam is a cordial host and judge and offers an innovative approach to each round of competition. Check out the threads for rounds one, two, three, four, five and the final round.

RVM featured artist Silenced Mykham ended up winning after getting knocked out in the first round then getting back in as an alternate. Check out the final round entry that got him the win. Congratulations SM, and thanks to Adam for hosting such a well-run competition.

December Horizon Rivals

Along with the December IGN Car Pack we have a new batch of Horizon Rivals events for you to conquer.

Built For The Road Ahead -- The Ford GTX1 wasn’t just “built for the road ahead” – Ford’s slogan that year – it’s also built for some extreme competition and style. With the GTX1’s top already popped, you’ll look good attacking this short asphalt circuit – but looking good is second only to winning the December IGN Car Pack is required to participate in this event.

Rally Ready-- If you can’t wait for the Forza Horizon Rally Expansion Pack to come out, we’ve got just the race for you. Climb the gravel-covered ridge and fly down sideways on the other side in this rally-inspired event. Choose a vehicle that puts you in the spirit of the glory days of rally.

Viva Italia-- You’ll need equal parts raw Italian horsepower and ground-hugging downforce to climb the leaderboards in this tribute to some of the most desirable exotics around. Route 27’s twists and turns will demand precision and finesse, something that all cars in this competition already possess.

Carson City Shuffle -- Tear up the town of Carson blasting through residential neighborhoods and commercial centers. This course has tight turns ready to bite your backside and a couple long stretches where you should reach top speed.

Hatch Attack Festival -- Find the perfect line and keep your foot to the floor if you want to set a good time through the corners of this curvaceous circuit. Bring your best hot hatch then put the hammer down. Understeer, meet your friend, throttle input.

Battle Royale--The streets of Beaumont become a battleground and the last car standing is the only one that matters. Show no mercy as you take out your competitors to climb your way to the top.

TORA Nürburgring 8 Hours

The Online Racing Association is gearing up for its final endurance race of the year, the Nürburgring 8 Hours. More than 40 cars and 100 drivers have signed up, and the whole event will be streamed live at TheOnlineRacingAssociation.com. Check out their promo video that includes live and in-game footage.

November Bondurant Challenge Final Standings

The data is in, or at least it will be in soon for the November Bondurant Challenge. Look here for the updated standings. Congratulations to the top competitors in this contest of who has the best skills across all Forza Motorsport driving disciplines. Good luck to all who will compete in December.

If you’ve got comments about this week’s RVM or wish to submit your “Catch Air Win Unicorns“ entry, do so in the RVM thread. This week I will be focusing of contest entries so I won’t be gifting FM4 unicorns for thread submissions. Now hit it and reach for the sky, my Forza friends!